LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan’s decision to change the presidents of the three regions in Punjab is a significant move at a time when the party is at a crossroads to mobilise the masses to participate in the second phase of long march and contest by-election on 20 Punjab Assembly seats in the face of “state power”.

The joint opposition PTI and PML-Q as well as ruling coalition PML-N and PPP need to grab a maximum number of seats to attain 186 members’ strength. The magic number will help the treasury save its government and even oust Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, while this figure for the joint opposition means toppling the government and regaining power in Punjab.

Annoyed over PTI Punjab leaders’ failure to mobilise the masses to participate in party’s May 25 long march and consequent bashing by the ruling PML-N, Mr Khan has appointed Dr Yasmin Rashid as party’s central Punjab president vice Shafqat Mahmood (former federal education minister). Former federal minister Hammad Azhar has been appointed as general secretary.

PTI North Punjab president Sadaqat Ali Abbasi has been replaced by Aamir Mehmood Kiyani, while Khusro Bakhtiar has been replaced by Aon Abbas Buppi as PTI south region president.

Candidates for central Punjab being finalised

All the three new presidents have been tasked to put in “greater focus” on the ongoing public mobilisation and prepare the party in Punjab for the upcoming by-elections scheduled for July 17.

There are eight PA seats each in the central and south Punjab regions and four seats in North Punjab. The PML-N has attained party strength of 174 MPAs as two rebels have rejoined it while two more rebels Jalil Sharaqpuri and Faisal Niazi could also join it as the ‘opportunity’ to violate party line or even abstaining from voting for the leader of the house has gone. The PTI has a total strength of 168 MPAs including 10 PML-Q members.

The PML-N is comfortable as it needs to win 12 more seats while the PTI needs to win 18 seats to be able to give a tough time to the ruling PML-N. In case, the PML-N will attain the 186 magic number, it will be in a position to oust PA Speaker Parvez Elahi through the re-submitted no-confidence motion. Mr Elahi had deferred the first no-confidence motion by holding the assembly session for a few minutes and that too in the absence of treasury members.

Sources claim the backdoor contacts between Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Asif Ali Zardari are paving the way for the ‘safe passage’ for Parvez Elahi. Mr Elahi has also reportedly told PTI chairman Imran Khan that his PA speakership could be protected, if the PTI-PML-Q coalition will allow the ruling PML-N to continue running its show.

Speaking to Dawn, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain categorically denied any discussion with Asif Ali Zardari during his recent meeting in Islamabad on saving Parvez Elahi’s position.

PML-Q senior leader Moonis Elahi said attaining the magic figure of 186 would also be tough for the PML-N because the five reserved seats for women and minority (disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan along with the 20 PTI turncoats) would return to the PTI. “The reserved seats allocated to a party cannot be re-allocated,” he said and added that cases for the women and minority reserved seats had been filed in the Islamabad High Court and Lahore High Court, respectively.

Moonis, a former federal minister, acknowledged that the PML-N may reign supreme by winning 12 seats or more. “What will happen, if Hamza Shehbaz will be arrested by the FIA,” he asked. He said either PM Shehbaz Sharif or CM Hamza Shehbaz would be arrested after the budget.

Meanwhile, Dr Yasmin Rashid told Dawn that the central Punjab had received 101 applications from the potential candidates for the eight seats. She said all the applicants were interviewed and a panel of three potential candidates for each PA seat had been sent to the party chairman who would discuss and select final candidates in party’s central core committee meeting in Peshawar on Sunday (today).

Acknowledging that it would be an uphill task to launch massive election campaign in all eight constituencies including four in Lahore, Dr Rashid said the party in central Punjab was motivated and ready to strongly contest the by-elections “even in the face of state power being used by the ruling PML-N as it did use it during the peaceful long march of the party on May 25”.

It was also a big responsibility to mobilise the masses for the second phase of the long march as the police and judiciary are acting against the PTI, she said.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2022